Partnership, respect, pride: BADAC marks 50 years of NAIDOC

THE Ballarat and District Aboriginal Co-operative community celebrated the arrival of NAIDOC Week on Monday morning, hosting their annual flag raising, Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony.

Held at BADAC’s Armstrong Street base in partnership with the City of Ballarat, the event saw Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Shannen Mennen and Blair Gilson respectively welcome attendees to Country, and lead the smoking ceremony as cultural fire officer.

BADAC chief executive of culture, public relations and engagement Shu Brown welcomed First Nations peoples, friends and allies to the ceremony which he said continues to grow in attendance each year.

“When First Nation cultures are celebrated, everyone benefits,” he said. “We learn from one another and barriers come down.

“When we listen, relationships grow, and when we stand together, our children see hope instead of division. That is what NAIDOC is about.

“In Ballarat, we are incredibly fortunate to have a community that grows stronger through partnership, respect and cultural pride.”

The 2026 NAIDOC (National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee) theme is 50 Years of Deadly.

Brown invited attendees to “look ahead” in celebrating 50 years of NAIDOC.

“Imagine a future where every Aboriginal child grows up proud of who they are,” Brown said.

“A future where language continues to be spoken, where culture continues to thrive.

“Where ‘closing the gap’ becomes a reality because communities need the solutions. Where racism has no place.

“Where truth, healing and reconciliation become everyday practice rather than aspirations.

“Our future belongs to all of us – each conversation, each act of respect, each opportunity we create for young people, each time we stand together, we build that future.

“Let us continue walking together with courage, let us continue celebrating the oldest living culture in the world, and let us continue supporting one another with compassion and respect.”

NAIDOC award winners carried the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island flags through the cleansing eucalyptus smoke before they were raised over Market Street.

City of Ballarat mayor Cr Tracey Hargreaves said when First Nations culture and heritage is nurtured in Ballarat it strenthens the region for all residents.